


Where North meets West

by horrendoushaddock



Category: Game of Thrones (TV), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: AU, Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-28 10:35:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19810510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/horrendoushaddock/pseuds/horrendoushaddock
Summary: A little bit of kindness can go a long way.





	Where North meets West

**Author's Note:**

> a commission for a friend. his only guidelines were Tormund making Hiccup uncomfortable, and post-GoT. this is what I came up with. so needless to say, this takes place after the end of GoT (so be aware of spoilers if you haven’t seen that yet), and somewhere between movies 2 and 3 for HTTYD. also keep an eye out for HTTYD book references. they’re in there.

Dawn’s early light is just beginning to creep across Berk when Hiccup finds a small cluster of islands far off the coast. It’s not long after Toothless touches down on the first of the chain that the hours blur and bleed into one another, and time is too easily lost. The small land masses are beautiful, dusted with snow and their shores are stained with salt from the sea’s spray. The trees growing on them are tall and wide, older than Hiccup cares to think about. The land all around him is crawling with dragons and untouched by man; it feels almost wrong to chart it on his ever-growing map. **  
**

The sun is at its highest point when the thought crosses Hiccup’s mind that they should be leaving this place. He’s taken down as much detail as he can, and the dragons nearby are becoming a little more than curious of his presence. The last thing he wants is to intrude and aggravate. 

Toothless nudges his back with his snout gently, crooning quietly to make sure he gets his attention. He tears his eyes away from the map on the ground, and runs a hand over dark scales. Toothless makes an appreciative sound at the touch before nudging at the hand, a little harder than before. He can sense the other dragon’s agitation, too, and it’s time to go. 

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Hiccup says softly, pushing back at the dragon’s snout. He glances back toward the sea and sighs quietly to himself. They should have been gone hours ago, he knows that, but being out here and away from the mainland helps him clear his mind. He hadn’t been ready to shoulder the weight of becoming Chief, and he certainly hadn’t been ready to lose Stoick. Sometimes, just getting away from Berk itself is cathartic in a way it hadn’t been before. 

It eases his guilt only by a fraction to know that Astrid and his mother have at least come to understand these sudden jaunts. And he certainly can appreciate that Toothless waited this long before trying to get his attention.

Toothless nudges him again, a little harder than before. He steadies himself and rolls his eyes at the reptile’s impatience, but he’s grinning just a little by the time their eyes meet.

“We’re going!” he assures, rubbing under the dragon’s chin, dragging blunt nails across secret scale patches that make Toothless’ fins flutter. The distraction is only momentary, then the dragon recalls his slight frustration, and he lets out a heavy, hot sigh of his own. He pulls away from Hiccup’s touch and nods toward the saddle on his back.

Hiccup rolls his eyes again, but this time he collects his map, and then at least makes the effort to move toward Toothless’ flank. He takes his time putting the map away, mounting him, fussing with stirrups and reins, prolonging his return as long as he possibly can. At the root of it all, and his personal reasons aside, there’s something wondrous about being the first to lay eyes and set foot on new land, and he sorely wishes the moment didn’t have to pass so soon.

Toothless straightens himself out very suddenly. It’s enough to almost send his rider toppling over his side, and when Hiccup scolds his impatience, the dragon just chortles back to him.

Hiccup’s prosthetic clicks into place and he thumps his palm against Toothless’ shoulder. “Well, what’re you waiting for, bud? Let’s get going,” he teases, and when Toothless looks back at him, he’s clearly not amused.

Toothless snorts and rolls his eyes at the attempted joke, then spreads his wings and they’re off. In spite of the light teasing, Toothless is very conscious of the way his rider’s weight rests against his back, heavier than usual. A glance over his shoulder as he flies, and he can see any relief and happiness from just moments ago has gone.

If he were a lesser creature, Toothless could have pretended that he didn’t know what was wrong. But, to some extent, he does understand. His own brow furrows, and he trills quietly to himself in thought as he looks ahead again, to the bit of sea and sky that lead back to Berk. He knows that they should go back, not because he has any real sense of Hiccup’s newfound responsibilities, but he understands that it’s important for him to be on Berk and with his people. Knowing this though, doesn’t change the fact that going back will upset Hiccup further right now. 

Grumbling to himself, Toothless takes a very sudden sharp turn, changing their direction entirely. It catches Hiccup by surprise, and the Chief of Berk gives a shameless little yelp of surprise as he holds on to the saddle tighter than he had been before. 

“What are you doing?” he asks, and shifts his weight, leaning forward to try and get a better look at Toothless’ face. In the past, it’s never quite been a good sign when the dragon’s suddenly changed direction. He takes quick notice, though, that Toothless’ expression and body language hasn’t changed, and he even gives his best impression of a small smile as he looks back at his rider. 

“Toothless?” Hiccup questions, but obviously Toothless won’t answer him. He thinks about pulling him back, forcing him to change direction, but something tells him not to. That he should just trust the dragon, and let him take him where he needs for now. (He also thinks that maybe he should finally sit down and try to figure out dragon-tongue, or dragonese as he’s taken to calling it. It would make all of this a lot easier.)

It makes him smile just a little again to realize Toothless is trying to make him feel better. He may have hurried him off of that island, but that was more for his own safety than anything else. Even though Hiccup hadn’t said anything, the dragon had been able to pick up on his uneasiness, and knew he didn’t want to go back home just yet. 

He wonders if Toothless will ever stop amazing him, and decides quick enough that he probably won’t. He sits back properly in the saddle again, and this time he isn’t resting so heavily on the dragon’s back.

“Alright,” he says after a moment, “let’s see where we end up.” 

* * *

The sun is starting to set when Jon curses under his breath, and Ghost lifts his head to look at him, ear perked. Jon gives a little smile to the direwolf while sucking at the knick on his thumb. One would have thought that by now, he would have mastered the skinning of game. Even so, he supposed anybody was entitled to an accident one way or another. 

Ghost gives him a whining sort of grunt, then lays his head back down onto his paws. His eyes never leave the human, though, as Jon goes back to work skinning one of three hares. 

The quiet only lasts for a few more moments before there is a mad shuffling of feet nearby. Jon nearly cuts himself again as he twists around, then stands, trying to get a sense of what’s going on. The free men and women of the camp are scrambling, mostly going for their nearest weapons. 

Ghost is on his feet, too, and his gaze goes skyward. His hackles raise, and a low growl rumbles in his throat. 

Jon doesn’t get a chance to ask what’s going on, when another man suddenly shouts, “Dragon!” 

“Dragon?” he asks, and soon he’s grabbing any body that rushes passed him. “What do you mean, dragon?” 

The man in his clutches points upward. “The lookouts spotted a dragon in the sky. Coming right toward the camp.” 

Jon lets his comrade go, and something inside him sinks and swells all at once. He had not allowed himself to even consider that Drogon would return, but there are no other dragons in the world. What are the chances this dragon could not be Daenerys’? 

He rushes through their campground, to where a good amount of men and women alike have gathered. Some have spears in their hands, others have bows and arrows at the ready. All eyes are on the sky, and at the first real glimpse of a black body flying overhead, arrows are let loose. 

It’s easily noticeable that the arrows miss their mark, that the dragon rears back in the sky some. Jon can see a blatantly human figure on the animal’s back, and he’s quick to encourage the others to put their weapons down. 

“Stop! Stop. Don’t shoot at it,” he tells them, and gestures toward the sky. “It’s not Drogon.” Though, really, that much should have been obvious. This one was far too small, and the body shape was all wrong. 

“Drogon or not,” says a man in the group, “do you really want to risk it?” 

“Don’t argue with the man,” Tormund speaks up, shoving his way through and toward Jon. He looks skyward, too, and he can see the animal awkwardly hovering. “You forget, this Bastard has ridden a dragon before. He knows the way they think - ”

“I don’t, really,” Jon tries to interrupt. “I just don’t think that – ”

“If he tells you to leave it alone, you fucking leave it alone,” Tormund finishes. He looks away from the dragon, and toward Jon, eyebrow raised. 

“But where did it come from?” a woman asks, urgency in her voice. “Thought Daenerys’ brood were the only lot in the world.”

“I - I don’t know,” Jon says, brow furrowed. “The world is a big place, so… It’s possible - ”

And again, he’s cut off by another speaking over him. 

“Don’t know where it came from, Snow, but it’s definitely coming this way now.” 

* * *

The first arrow misses, but it comes close enough that Toothless rears back in his flight. Hiccup holds onto him tightly, mostly to make sure he won’t fall off in the process of Toothless’ searching. From where they are, Hiccup can see the camp below, and he groans inwardly while patting at Toothless’ shoulder reassuringly. 

“I guess I shouldn’t have expected this to be a quiet day, huh, Bud?” he muses, and Toothless gives a little snort as he looks back to Hiccup. He’s still at an odd angle, wings beating hard to keep himself nearly vertical as he looks down at the men and women below. It doesn’t take Toothless long before he decides they should probably be leaving, but Hiccup has other plans. Which, really, shouldn’t surprise the dragon by now. Toothless no sooner makes a move to go, and Hiccup’s hands are at the reins, tugging and urging him to stop. 

“Hey, hey, where are you going?” he asks the dragon, and Toothless grunts in response. And, of course, Hiccup keeps talking. 

“We can’t just leave now,” he says, making a sweeping motion down to the camp with one hand, the other still holding the reins tightly. They were shooting blind at a dragon, and while Hiccup completely understands why, he’s admittedly taken it upon himself to try and show as many people as he can that dragons weren’t inherently dangerous. He also knows that, presently, there are and much more important things to worry about, but this is the best distraction he could ask for for now. 

“We need to go down there and show them there’s nothing to worry about.” 

Toothless grunts again, then whines. They’ve done this too many times before, and more often than not it doesn’t end well. There’s usually a lot of screaming and running involved. Hiccup knows that, but he’ll still try. 

“If things get ugly, we’ll high-tail it out of there, alright?” Hiccup reassures. Toothless grumbles and even sighs, but he can’t say no to Hiccup.

He readjusts himself in the air, and gives Hiccup a few seconds to change his mind. When that doesn’t happen, he makes a quiet, uneasy sound and takes the dive down toward the camp. 

The reaction of the group below is a mixed one; some take their leave of the area, while others stand their ground stubbornly. But both Hiccup and Toothless are used to this whole thing by now, and they know not to land too close, or move too quickly once they do. Hiccup dismounts Toothless slow and easy, hands up and exposed to show he means no harm. 

That, of course, doesn’t mean he’s greeted kindly in turn. One of them men shoves forward, using an arrow to point threateningly at the Viking Chief. Toothless makes a move to come closer, but Hiccup’s hand drops and keeps the dragon at bay. 

“Lower it,” Jon orders, and the man with the arrow reluctantly obeys. He steps aside as Jon approaches, but Hiccup doesn’t feel any more at ease than he had a moment ago. 

“Where did you find that?” Jon nods toward Toothless, and Hiccup follows his gesture for just a moment before he looks at him again. 

“It’s, ah… Kind of a long story,” Hiccup says slowly, but he feels like maybe these men - or at least, this man - will listen to him. Maybe there won’t be the dramatics of running and screaming, after all. “And I’ll tell you, if you’re willing to listen.” 

Jon stares long and hard at Hiccup for a moment, and then his eyes go to Toothless. This dragon is so very unlike Drogon or Rhaegal, and he’s painfully curious about it. Particularly where he had come from, and how this stranger was able to ride him. As far as Jon knew, only a Targaryen could ride a dragon, but this man in front of him certainly didn’t strike him as sharing the bloodline. 

Though, it wasn’t too long ago that he would have scoffed at anyone had they told him he, too, was part Targaryen. So, really, who was he to judge?

Jon casts a glance at Tormund, and the redhead grins and shrugs. “You’d know more about this sort of mess than I would,” he reasons, and he’s right. With a sigh, Jon turns back toward Hiccup and motions slowly for him to follow. 

“Come on, then. And, ah… It,” a nod in Toothless’ direction, “can come, too.” 

* * *

It turns out that these people aren’t quite as terrible as Hiccup had anticipated. They’re loud and wild, but they’re good people, if not a little uncomfortable and frightening. Jon leads them into a hut, and names are exchanged along the way. It comes as no surprise that Tormund audibly snorts at his name; honestly, he expects it every time. Though, if Hiccup is being honest, he’s never quite heard names like theirs before, either. He just has enough decency not to comment on them. 

Inside the hut, that Hiccup assumes is Jon’s, Tormund makes himself comfortable. The redhead wasn’t outright invited to join then, but Hiccup can sense that there’s a deep, mutual respect between these two men. He supposes Tormund doesn’t need to be asked to join them. He knows when he is and isn’t wanted. 

Tormund pours them drinks, and insists on shoving a ram’s horn mug into Hiccup’s hands when he tries to decline. He’s never been much of a drinker, but it’s somehow easier to just hold the cup than try to give it back at this point. 

Jon takes a seat across from him, and Tormund sits uncomfortably close. Hiccup tries his best not to make a show of his discomfort, especially since there are important topics at hand. 

At Jon’s request, he tells them all that he’s comfortable sharing about how he came to have Toothless in his life. Some details, namely Berk’s location, are spared. 

“So - wait. You’re telling me, you,” Tormund has no shame as he slaps the back of his hand into Hiccup’s chest, “you shot that thing out of the sky, and then you didn’t even kill it?”

Hiccup coughs, and rubs at the spot where the redhead’s knuckles made contact. “Well… no,” he offers a weak smile, and laughs a little. “I just couldn’t do it, you know?” 

“No,” Tormund laughs. “I can’t say I do. I wouldn’t have hesitated, not even for a second.” 

“Tormund,” Jon interjects, sensing that maybe this isn’t the best way to go about this conversation. He offers Hiccup an apologetic smile. Hiccup shrugs in response. 

“No - no, let me finish!” Tormund continues. “That’s what makes you two special,” he says. “Any man can kill a dragon, but it takes a King to spare one, and to ride one.” 

Hiccup clears his throat, and he rubs at the back of his neck. He thinks he should be used to that sort of compliment by now, but he isn’t. He doesn’t think he did anything particularly outstanding in the moment he chose to free Toothless instead of kill him. An act of compassion shouldn’t have been likened to kingliness. But, he supposes, in this day and age, maybe it does. 

But then what Tormund says clicks, and he turns his attention to Jon. “Wait. You’ve ridden a dragon before?” 

“Oh, don’t get him started,” Tormund says, and he lifts his cup, drink spilling over from the sudden movement. Hiccup is barely able to dodge the spill, and he wonders if Tormund is usually like this, or if he’s just drunk. 

“He rode a dragon, alright,” the redhead snorts, and the implication doesn’t miss its mark. Hiccup makes a face, and Jon turns at least one shade pinker. 

“No - no! Not… Not like that,” Jon laughs a little sheepishly, quietly. 

“Don’t you fuckin’ lie, Snow!” 

“I am very confused, and I’m not sure I want clarification,” Hiccup says, clearing his own throat. 

“There was a woman,” Jon explains quickly. “And she was called the Mother of Dragons.” 

Somehow, this explanation doesn’t make the story any easier or less awkward to take in. 

“And she taught me how to ride one of her dragons,” Jon continues. As he speaks, there’s something softening in his voice. 

Hiccup nods slowly. “What happened to her? And her dragons?” 

“She died,” Jon says. It comes out quickly, as though if he just goes ahead and spits it out, it’ll be easier to say. “And all but one of her dragons were killed. The last took her with him when he flew off.” 

Hiccup knows it’s better if he doesn’t press on, and so he just nods. “I’m sorry,” he says, because something in him tells him that Jon needs to hear that. 

Jon gives a nod, accepting the sympathy silently. 

They talk for a few more hours, and Hiccup does his best to answer any questions Jon and Tormund have about dragons. They had been so convinced that this Mother of Dragons had the only three in the world, and that astounds Berk’s Chief. He knows that some species are dying out, or have died out, but it’s hard to imagine a world without dragons. Carefully, he provides that if they’ve seen no other dragons, they’re probably just hiding. With good reason, he thinks. 

Tormund eventually drinks until he passes out, slumping back in his seat, and whatever was left in his cup finally finds its way to Hiccup’s thigh. The Viking does his best to stifle his annoyance, but really he doesn’t mind. He’s had worse spilled on him, if he’s being honest. 

“You can stay the night, if you need rest before you’re on your way,” Jon says. “I imagine you need it.” 

Hiccup thinks on it, and twists to look out toward Toothless. The dragon is watching him in turn, eyes heavy-lidded and breathing shallow. Even if Hiccup wanted to leave now, Toothless probably wouldn’t make the flight back to Berk. Turning back to Jon, he nods. 

“What about him?” he nods toward Tormund as he stands. 

“Ah… Just leave him there,” Jon chuckles. “It won’t be the worst place he’ll have slept.” 

Hiccup doesn’t doubt that for one second. 

* * *

When Hiccup returns to Berk, he doesn’t quite know what to expect. He’s taken off without warning before, but this is the first time he’s been gone for a full day and a night. He, at least, expects there to be worry - and there is. Gobber seems to find him just moments after Toothless lands. The back of Hiccup’s head is met with a firm tap from Gobber’s good hand, and the Chief laughs and mumbles his way through an apology. 

“I guess I kind of deserved that, though,” he concludes, to which Gobber rolls his eyes. 

“You deserve more than that,” the blacksmith says, and sighs. Hiccup will learn, in time, how to manage his grief properly. Gobber has been there his whole life, and the blacksmith knows that Hiccup has never had to really go through this before. This is all a very new experience, and Hiccup is finding his footholds.

He just wishes he would find them a little closer to home. 

“Anyway,” Gobber continues, before Hiccup can intercede, “you might want to go find your mother. She’s found a new dragon.” 

“A new dragon?” Hiccup echoes, curious and cautious all at once. 

“Aye. A big one. Saw the poor beast fall right out of the sky. Crashed into the woods and… ” Gobber sighs, watching with a raised eyebrow as Hiccup leaves his side, heading off to find his mother. “You’re already gone. Fantastic.”

It doesn’t take long to find Valka. A lot of Berk’s dragons, old and new alike, have taken to keeping a fair distance from the place where this new dragon has chosen to stay. It doesn’t seem too keen on coming close to the village, and it stays at the edge of the forest. This is probably as far as Valka could have led it, for now. 

“Is it hurt?” Hiccup asks as he steps up closer to his mother. The dragon, not too far away from them, is massive, and not like any he’s seen before. 

“No,” Valka says quietly. “He’s exhausted, though. I don’t know how long he’s flown for, but if I hadn’t seen him falling…” She doesn’t need to finish the thought, they both know and understand. 

“It’s not like a dragon to just fly itself to death,” Hiccup comments. Or, at least he doesn’t think so. He’s never heard of something like that before.

“That’s not even the strangest thing, Hiccup,” Valka says, brow furrowed. She gives a little nod toward the dragon. He’s laying down, and watching them just as intently, tail curled about himself. It’s hard to see what Valka’s trying to point out, but when Hiccup sees it, there’s no stopping the small gasp that leaves him. 

“Is that - is that a body?” 

“A human woman, from the looks of it,” Valka confirms quietly, and drops her gaze. The corpse is at least a few weeks old and weathered, and Valka can’t quite figure out why this dragon has decided to keep it. The relationship between dragon and man is still something new, after all. She does know, though, that whoever the woman was, she must have meant a lot to the animal. 

And Hiccup wants to wonder who she could have been, but he finds himself feeling like he already knows.


End file.
